De Nieuwe Tuinderij-West in Zuidoostbeemster has a fresh splash of color. Next to playground De Spelemei on Boerengroenstraat stands a small, former white utility house, once part of the local Delta fiber-optic network. For residents Bianca and her neighbor Pieter, the plain white box was an eyesore. Together with the village manager from the Municipality of Purmerend, they decided it was time for a transformation.

Bianca explains:
"We have a direct view of that little house, and honestly, we didn’t like it at all. Everything around here celebrates greenery and natural beauty. After exploring some ideas, we were directed to Jan Stel. He’s already created stunning street art, like the four large Rijkswaterstaat pillars near the Karwei store. We thought, maybe he could turn this bare white wall into something special. We even went door to door with a short survey, and the neighbors were immediately enthusiastic."

Stel, who goes by the artist name Simbl, is a self-taught muralist with works across the Netherlands and beyond. His murals on the Rijkswaterstaat pillars under the Jeroen Houweling Bridge on Neckerstraat draw daily admiration and photographs from passersby.

For this project, Jan was invited to design a mural reflecting the charm of Zuidoostbeemster, complete with sheep, blossoming trees, and a small canal. "This is more or less how the area used to look," he says.

Painting the mural came with its own quirks. "I was very well taken care of there was certainly no shortage of coffee,"he laughs. "But the location posed some challenges. If I take a few steps back with my coffee to see the mural from a distance, I end up in the ditch. So I have to be careful!"

The result is a cheerful, locally inspired artwork that brings a touch of beauty and history to the neighborhood.